Why Being Kind Matters
When I moved to the US from Brazil to work as an IT consultant, I didn’t know anyone (other than my employer, by phone) and needed a lot of help to repatriate and adjust. I remember all the random acts of kindness I received from people at work, their friends, and people my Brazilian friends tirelessly referred me to because “they live in the US”.
One friend I made let me use his car so I could get tested for the US driver’s license (the Brazilian one was not valid here). Another one took me with him to all summer barbeques he was invited to so I’d meet people and make friends. I could list so many other examples. I can’t be more grateful I met these people and they made part of my story.
Have you ever been a recipient of a random act of kindness? How did that make you feel?
Did you know that being the one doing them can also be good for you?
It doesn’t have to be something big either, a word of encouragement, a compliment, a smile at a stranger (even if it’s below a pandemic face mask) are all good examples of random acts of kindness.
What are the benefits of being kind?
Being on the receiving end of an act of kindness is obviously a good thing – but being the one doing it has more benefits than you might think. See some examples below:
Encourages Gratitude
When you are able to give someone something that is of value to them, it usually means it comes from a place of abundance. You can’t give something you don’t have. So being kind promotes a feeling of gratitude for the abundance you have and can share with others.
And being grateful, as many studies have shown, does wonders for your own level of happiness and improves your health. You can read more about the benefits of practicing gratitude here.
Lowers Stress
Doing good to someone else releases feel-good hormones which is why giving someone a hand fills you up with joy. As singer Morley said in Women of Hope inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi: “If you’re feeling helpless, help someone”.
Boosts Mood
There’s even a name for it: “helper’s high”. Try it today and let me know in the comment section below what you did and how it made you feel. Being king boosts the production not only of oxytocin and dopamine, but also serotonin, the hormone that increases our feeling of happiness.
Decreases pain
Another effect from the increase of hormones mentioned above, this time the release of endorphins, also resulting from being kind to others, work as natural painkillers in your system.
Improved relationships
We mention how you can have feelings of gratitude from helping others, on the other side of the coin, you will probably have a very grateful recipient from your actions – if you are looking to improve and deepen your relationships, being kind will surely reap those benefits.
As you can see, doing random acts of kindness can be good not only for those on the receiving end, but also for the perpetrator. It is just common sense: being kind is a positive thing all around.
Are there any other benefits you can think of?
Don’t wait for a special occasion. Do it today.
Most people wait for Valentine’s, a birthday, a wedding anniversary, a teacher’s appreciation day or another holiday to demonstrate gratitude or make an act of kindness. And if you haven’t yet created a habit out of doing random acts of kindness at unexpected times and without expecting anything in return, it’s obviously ok to use those dates as reminders.
I’ll tell you a secret, though: when the recipient is not expecting it, it makes the rewards even sweeter. So create the habit. Put it in your calendar and add a reminder if you must. But start today. You’ll find a few ideas below. It doesn’t need to take a lot of your time, although if you want to you can get creative and make a big production, too!
You acts of kindness can make an impact in the world
Once you are convinced of the benefits of kindness, you may decide you want to really go big. Here are some examples of what you can do if that is what you choose.
Volunteering
Look for opportunities in your community – there are always associations donating time and money to worthy causes and gladly accepting help from people like you. Schools, churches, non-profit organizations, there is something for everyone who is willing to volunteer.
Create your own non profit organization
If there is some problem you are passionate about contributing solutions to, this may be an option for you. It is naturally not for everyone, but it’s possible to obtain grants and funding backers and get started showing up big.
Start a fundraiser
On a smaller scale, you could start a fundraiser to assist a more immediate cause, such as a natural disaster or personal tragedy (like a family who lost their house to a fire), and still make a world of a difference to someone in need.
Being kind can have a ripple effect
Also known as the “pay it forward” cycle, once you are kind to someone, they feel naturally compelled to pass it on – good deeds are contagious. It can be even more far-reaching than you think: besides givers and receivers, observers also feel good as a result even though they were not directly involved, and it can be inspiring for them, too.
If you are a parent, rest assured your kids are learning from observing you, and if you have the habit of showing kindness to others, there’s a good chance they will grow to be kind adults, too.
How you can express your kindness
There are different ways you can put your kindness in action. Recently, my son’s school had a “Gratitude Project” where the students were supposed to create a message to their teachers and several options were suggested: a written letter or poem, a song, a video, a drawing, even a TikTok video for the older kids. My son picked not only one, but three of these, and melted his teacher’s heart (and mine).
Examples of random acts of kindness you can do today
All that said, here are some ideas you can run with. Do yourself (and someone else) a favor and pick one and do it today. You won’t regret it!
- Give encouragement to a friend who’s struggling
- Share your knowledge with someone who could use your expertise
- Hold the door open for someone
- Say an honest Thank You
- Listen to someone’s rant until they are done venting
- Write someone a recommendation on LinkedIn
- Share a positive review of someone’s small business on social media
- Offer a homeless person something to eat
- Give someone an unexpected compliment
- Call or text a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time to check on them
- Praise a customer service representative when you get a good service
- Introduce two of your acquaintances to each other if you think they could benefit from knowing each other
- Give someone recognition for their good work or contribution at work
- Offer to put someone’s shopping cart away in the market parking lot
You get the idea – these are just a few of a world of ideas, big or small, get creative and show your kindness! It will make a world of difference for someone.
So, how will you choose to be kind today?
